This application generally relates to data processing and to computers and, more particularly, to presentation processing, to data modifying, and to version management in database maintenance.
Conventional methods for updating a webpage are inefficient. When a web browser downloads data, the browser obtains a current status of the data. When that data must be updated, the web browser must again request the data and refresh. If the data is dynamically changing, the web browser must constantly refresh itself. That is, the web browser must constantly re-request the data from the web server. These repeated requests to the server tax the processing abilities of the server. Each page update requires recompilation at the server, and databases must be queried to obtain data for the web page. If hundreds or even thousands of users are requesting updates, the all these requests, queries, and responses tax the server and clog the network.
These conventional methods are especially unsuited for large-scale, real-time updates. When many computer users share access to a software application (such as a database), each user wants to view the latest data without having to constantly refresh the web browser (such as every ten seconds). If each user is forced to constantly refresh their web browser to obtain the latest data, the server and the network experience intensive loading. Ultimately the server hardware and the network must be expensively robust to handle many requests.
What is needed, however, are improved methods, systems, devices, and products for dynamically updating web content. When web content is updated, the web browser should not be required to reload all static and dynamic portions of a web page. These improved concepts of updating web pages should also reduce the processing requirement of a web server, reduce network traffic, and ultimately reduce the cost of hardware equipment.